Honey Almond Granola

This recipe for Honey Almond Granola is lightly sweetened with no added sugar other than a bit of honey. Whole almonds add incredible crunch and a small amount of dried fruit can also be added for additional texture. What I love about this recipe is that it is endlessly customizable: switch up the nuts and the dried fruit, even swap out the honey for maple syrup! Your morning bowl of yogurt will never be boring again.

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WHY THIS RECIPE IS SO SPECIAL

Granola can often be laden with sugar to the point where it becomes no different from a bowl of cereal or a sleeve of cookies. However less sugary granolas are often very expensive and so having a solid home made granola recipe can really come in handy.

This recipe for Honey Almond Granola is still decidedly sweet but also full of flavor and texture. Honey is naturally much more flavorful and nuanced than sugar. Baking the granola low and slow develops the toasty notes of the oats and nuts. The oats and almonds compliment the warmth of both honey and cinnamon. Dried cranberries brighten up the sweet, nutty flavors with a bit of tartness. I enjoy eating this granola with plain or vanilla yogurt, on ice cream or even doused in cold milk.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT NEEDED

• Small (1.5 quart) saucepan: I recommend gently heating the honey and oil together before adding it to the oats. Warming the liquid ingredients helps to coat the oats and nuts evenly without creating clumps. A heat proof measuring cup can be used instead to warm the liquid ingredients in the microwave.
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• Half sheet (18 x 13) pan: This size tray works well because the granola can be spread out in a single layer, ensuring that all the various components bake evenly. The mixture can even be tossed together directly on the pan instead of a separate bowl.
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• Heat proof spatula: These spatulas are very handy when scraping and tossing the granola during the baking process to ensure everything toasts evenly in the oven.

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HOW TO MAKE HONEY ALMOND GRANOLA

1. Prepare for baking. Preheat an oven to 300° F. The low temperature ensures the granola doesn’t bake too quickly. In order to achieve an even, crunchy texture, granola needs to bake low and slow. I recommend lightly greasing a half sheet pan with spray. Even though there is oil in the granola, a bit of extra grease is an insurance policy against sticking.
2. Mix the dry ingredients: I recommend using old fashioned oats as the base for granola. Quick oats are too small. Whole almonds are used in the recipe because I love how crunchy they become during a long bake at a low temperature. Ground cinnamon and fine sea salt are added to the oats and almonds for flavor
3. Warm the wet ingredients: Honey and canola oil are the liquid components of this recipe. They are briefly warmed in a small saucepan or heatproof measuring cup and then poured over the oats, almonds and spices and tossed to coat. Gently heating the liquids before adding them to the dry ingredients ensures they absorb well and coat evenly.
4. Bake: The granola bakes at 300° F for a total of 30-40 minutes in an oven. Tossing the granola at least once during the baking process ensures the granola will toast evenly. I recommend using a heat proof spatula to scrape up and toss the granola on the pan. When the granola is baked completely and removed from the oven, tossing it one last time helps break up the components and prevents them from sticking to the baking tray.
5. Add dried fruit: Finally dried cranberries are added to the granola after it is baked and cooled slightly. The tartness from the dried fruit balances out the sweetness.

VARIATIONS AND SUBSTITUTIONS

• Old fashioned oats: I do not recommend using quick oats to replace old fashioned oats in this recipe. If you are aiming to make a gluten free granola, just look for gluten free oats!
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• Whole almonds: Many types of nuts and even seeds can be used instead of whole almonds. Walnuts, pecans, cashews, sliced almonds, pumpkin seeds or even sunflower seeds will work.
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• Honey: You can use maple syrup or brown rice syrup for a vegan version of this granola.
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• Canola oil: Vegetable, grapeseed, avocado or even olive oil can replace the canola oil in this recipe.
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• Dried fruit: Dried apricots, raisins, figs, pomegranates, dates – most dried fruits will work well. If the dried fruit is on the larger side, I recommend chopping it up a bit first.